HD TV comes to Phuket, Thailand

July 15, 2011 - PRLog -- Phuket, Thailand: TrueVisions, the main satellite and cable TV operator in Thailand, has announced it will finally be rolling out its high definition (HD) TV service in Phuket.

In 2007 TrueVisions first revealed it was testing HD TV. The initial test run included; Barclay's Premier League HD, Discovery HD, National Geographic Channel HD, History Channel HD, and some HD programs on True Series. However, since then progress has been slow.

Finally, in November last year the company started broadcasting three HD channels; Reality HD, HBO HD and TrueSport HD.  But these were only available to cable TV subscribers.

Now, TrueVisions has added eleven more channels to the service.

The new channels are; TrueSport HD2, National Geographic HD, Discovery HD World, Star Movies HD, Fox Family Movies HD, AXN HD, KMTV HD and iConcerts HD.

Initially, the new service will only be available in Bangkok, Phuket, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Rayong, Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Lampang, Nakhon Sawan and Ubon Ratchathani.

But the broadcaster aims to introduce HD to a further ten provinces in Thailand by the end of 2011.

Although the new HD channels are only available to cable subscribers at the moment, TrueVisions also said that its satellite subscribers will be able to receive the service starting in 2012: “Though the new service remains limited to subscribers to the fibre-optic cable network [currently], it will also be available to satellite customers next year,” confirmed Chief Commercial Officer Ongard Prapakmol.

The TV provider is hoping to convert more than two million Thai households to the new service over the next two years.

TrueVisions was founded in 1989 when the Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand (MCOT) and International Broadcasting Corporation Public Company Limited (IBC) began a joint venture to provide subscription TV services.

The first broadcast of subscriber based TV was made in Bangkok in October 1989.  By 1994 TV channels were being served to all major cities across Thailand via the Thaicom 1 satellite.

In 1995 TrueVisions launched its digital satellite TV service. Currently, this service is transmitted on the new and more powerful Thaicom 5 satellite.

Rebecca Smith
Phuket Ocean Villas

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Rebecca Smith is a real estate journalist and author with over 15 years experience. She has published 3 books to date:

'The Definitive Guide to buying property in Phuket' - http://blog.phuketoceanvillas.com/the-definitive-guide-to...

'10 simple ways to slash your marketing costs and sell more property' - http://www.ovgmarketing.com/10-simple-ways-to-slash-your-...

'The Definitive Guide to buying property in Thailand' - http://blog.oceanvillasgroup.com/the-definitive-guide-to-...

Rebecca is currently the sales director for Phuket Ocean Villas and Ocean Villas Group.